Turkey

One of the great Greek cities of Asia minor, Ephesus was originally founded by Ionian Greeks around 1000 BC at the mouth of the now silted Kayster river. The city flourished during the 7th 6th centuries BC and again from the 4th century BC when it came under the authority of Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successor Lysinachus. Under Roman rule Ephesus became the principle port and commercial centre on the Aegean, and the city was also a key to the development of Christianity.

Isabey Mosque, near St. John's Basilica, is an example of Seljuk Turkish architecture and is the oldest known example of a Turkish mosque with a courtyard. It was built in 1375 using columns and stones from the ruins of the city of Ephesus and the temple of Artemis, and restored in 1934.